Politcal
Originally, the Basotho was comprised of Bushmen who in the 1700 and 1800s fled to what is today Lesotho to escape tribal wars in southern Africa. Survivors of the wars fled into the highlands of what is now Lesotho and, under the leadership of an African chief named Moshoeshoe, (MOO- SHWAY-SHWAY) formed the current Basotho ethnic group. Their political abilities were affected by their environment in the sense that the kingdom of Lesotho was a place of safety for refugees, and this is entirely how the people and culture were formed.
In Things Fall Apart, readers were not introduced as to how the Ibo culture was created, however I can guess that it was in somewhat of the same way during vast tribal wars. This can be inferred due to the many surrounding villages of the Ibo, and they could have been separated due to the cause of war.
In the mid-1800s Moshoeshoe confronted Great Britain in an attempt to gain protection from a series of wars. Lesotho had already lost much of its land throughout these battles and the Basotho nation was declining. The remaining land became a British protectorate, however in 1966 the nation regained its independence and is although still tied to the British they will fight fiercely to remain an independent nation.
In 1966 when Lesotho appealed for independence, Moshoeshoe II, great-grandson of Moshoeshoe I, was installed as king and head of state, and Leabua Jonathan served as prime minister and head of government. Currently, King Letsie III is the Basotho leader, a prime minister is still represented and a Parliament composed of elected representatives and traditional chiefs is intact. After the May 1998 elections, opposition groups protested the election results resulting in political tensions which intensified in August, when members of the army joined the protestors.There is still much political strife and change occurring in the present Lesotho nation, however it has become less violent recently, and military involvement is less frequent.
(Evidence of PERSIA Rose House)
